Lead pencil



Patented Mar. 8, 1927.

unirse STATES MICHAEL F. GLENNON, OF GLEN RDGE, NEW JERSEY.

LEAD PENCIL.

Application led February 4, 1926. Serial No. 85,827.

This invention relates to writing implements and more particularly to refillable lead pencils of the general type shown and described by my co-pending application, Serial No. 2,471, liled January 15th, 1925, and upon which this is an improvement.

Among the objects of the presentinvent-ion is to provide a lead pencil having the general characteristics in weight and appearance of a usual lead pencil that requires resharpening but in which no resharpening of the wood is required while the lead is projectable from time to time by means of a mannually operated plunger carried within Vthe wood or holder. j

A further object of the invention is to provide a lead pencil the body of which comprises two parts,the tip and the holder detachably connected and held together frictionally for direct and comparatively easy operation for the introduction of a new lead or its manipulation. j

A further object of the invention is to provide a pencil having an adjustable and renewable lead adapted to be projected form time to time by means of a plunger which is in the nature of a screw and nut, the plunger being so arranged with respect to the other pencil parts as to be used repeatedly for successive leads as a result of simple end to end movement and without requiring resetting or adjustment of the nut along the screw. n

Vith the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists in the arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and while the invention is not restricted `to the exact details of coiistruction disclosed or suggested herein, still for the purpose of illustrating a practical embodiment thereof reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters designate the same parts in the several views, and in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal view of the invention with parts in section.

Fig. 2 is a fractional sectional view of the )encil taken substantially at right angles to the sectional plane of Fig. 1.

Figs. 3 and el are enlarged sectional views taken on the corresponding lines of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fractional view showing the tip of the pencil.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fractional view of the holder sectioned to show the manner of co-operation thereof with the tip.

on the line 8-8 Fig. 9 is a view of the plunger removed from the pencil after a lead has been wholly worn down and is being replaced by a new one. v

Referring now more `specifically to the drawings l show a lead pencil the body of which comprises two `partsf-a, tip l0 and a holder 11, these parts being made preferably of wood for the sake of lightness and similarity of appearance to that of an ordinary wooden lead pencil. The one essential in'iprovement and the ordinary lead pencil is that the body ofl this improvement is of a permanent nature7 not being subject to sharpening and wearing down, whereas the ordinary pencil requires whittling olf `from time to time and consequently frequent renewal at considerable comparative expense. The body portions 10 and 1l are connected together for easy and quick separation as by means of a nipple l2 constituting the upper end of the tip and litted into a socket or bore 1 3 in the lower end of the holder. rlhe socket, however, is longer or deeper than the length of the nipple. The holder, moreover, is provided with a main central bore 1-l which constitutes an extension of counter bore 13 and leads toward the free end of the holder. The tip is provided with a bore 15 which is arranged to receive a lead 16 of any suitable color or composition and hold he same with a slidable frictional lit. The bores 13 and 14 may have any suitable relative caliber hough the former is preferably slightly larger in ordeirto facilitate the insertion 'of the plunger mechanism as will be described hereinafter.

The lead 16 is of approximately the same length as the tip. lVhe/nfthe parts of the body are separated a lead 16 is inserted into the tip preferably for convenience through the nipple the same from one end co-operation, however, with the plunger mechanism the lead is projected suliiciently to permit of the formation of a point upon the end thereof for writing purposes. It will be understood that the leads are furnished in standard sizes for use one after another in the same pencil body. This to the other. Upon or upper end thereof and filling` and striking difference between this length may be anything that may be desirable or satisfactory though preferably I have found that a length of two inches is the most convenient and of the greatest advantage from a manufacturing standpoint.

The tip and the holder have suitable fricvtional engagement with each other in such manner as to eliminate the effects of difference in size which would normally occur in course of manufacture or as a result of wear after the pencil has been used for a certain time. tureis arranged for compressibility of one of the co-operating parts, the resiliency of the parts compressed being utilized to afford a more reliable grip or attachment ofthe tip to the holder. As a particularly simplified way of secu-ring this object and without increasing the weight of the pencil, I form a slot 17 inthe nipple 12, said slot extending preferably diametrically across the nipple and lengthwise thereof. Moreover, the nipple and the socket 13 are arranged to have proper relation with respect to each other so that the nipple will be compressed when it is inserted into the holder. In order to insure of the maximum ease of attachment and reliability of action, I arrange the cooperating parts so that the maximum deflection will occur at the free end of the nipple. More specifically, it will be observed that the nipple is tapered so as to be larger at the free end thereof than the inside diameter of the socket.l Upon attachment of the tip to the holder the parts of the nippleV upon opposite sides of the tip will be deflected toward each other as shown by dotted lines a of Fig. 5. That portion of the nipple which is adjacent to the head 18 of the tip will suffer practically no compression and may Vbe so proportioned with respect to the size of the socket as to be received therein with ease. In this way the frictional engagement between the tip and the holder is rendered wholly resilient throughout the extent of the engaging surfaces and there is no possibility of the parts binding.

As in the construction of my co-pending application above specified means is provided for projecting the lead from time to time for practical use and for holding the lead in projected or adjusted position, preventing the upwardor downwardi movement thereof unintentionally. For this purpo^e I provide a plunger comprising two parts,-a stem 19 shown in the nature of a screw and threaded from one end to the other, and a nut or runner 2O of substantially cylindrical form and adapted to fit into and lill that portion of the socket above or beyond the upper end of the nipple but into which socket extension the runner has a loose sliding fit. It will of course be understood that the nut is provided with More specifically, the strucan internal thread mating the external thread on the screw and with an easy running lit. The diameter of the screw is preferably slightly less than that of either of the bores 14 or 15 so that when the tip is withdrawn from the holder, the plunger as a unit is adapted to be dropped into or out of the holder when the holder is tilted or held with its socket end downward. The length of the screw approximates that of the lead or it may be slightly longer than the lead.

After a lead 16 is inserted into the tip as above described 'andl the tip replaced with its nipple in the socket 13 and with the plunger in place as shown in Fig. 1,

the lower end of the lscrew, the end portionl that may be left projected between the nut and the tip of the pencil, will be forced into the bore coincident with the insertion of the nipple 12 into the socket 13, the force applied to the two body parts by this act overcoming the frictional resistance .between the nipple and the holder while the nut coacting against the shoulder 21 at the bottom of the socket will cause the projecting lower end of the screw to push forward the lead, overcoming the friction between the lead and the tip. The projecting endof the lead may be sharpened or pointed by any suitable pointing meansv such as. sandpaper. or the like, or if the lead be of relatively small diameter such as this pencil is well adapted to accommodate it may not require special sharpening or pointing.

rlChe plunger is so arranged as to permit the lead to be fed forward by rotating the tip of the pencil whereby the stem 19 is caused to move therealong. More specifically, said stem is provided with lfiat surfaces 22 upon opposite sides thereof so as to co-operate with a keeper 23 and to be retained thereby in slidable relation and yet to prevent rotation of the same with respect to said keeper. The runner 2O has direct abutment relation against the keeper and also against the end of the tip 10. The

nipple 12 is provided with anenlarged slot 24e at the free end thereof, the central plane of which coincioes with that of the slot 17, the slot 24 being enlarged to receive a shoulder or lug 25 which is formed on the runner 20. Preferably the runner is, provided with one of such lugs at each end thereof. Consequently when the plunger is removed from the pencil as a unit, it can be readily reinserted or reversed bodily and without rotating the runner along the stem as when inserting a new lead into the tip to replace a worn lead, either lug 25 being engageable with the nipple. The proportions of the slots 17 and 211 are generally such as to permit of the required deflection of the nipple without causing any binding action. In other words, with theparts of the nipple deilected in the position shown by dotted lines a, a lug is still freely receivable in the slot 24 or removable therefrom. It will,

however, be Vunderstood that any suitable permit of deilection of the nipple without interference due to the lead therein.

The keeper 23 is constructed of any suitable form and consists preferably oi' a thin metal disk or washer which is fastened within the holder of the pencil in non-rotatable received vrelation and preferably so as to abut against the shoulder 21. As a simple way of constructing the keeper the same can be made of concave form as shown in Fig. 7 and with a slot 27 struck therethrough toreceive the stem 19, said keeper being provided with the outwardly directed prongs 28. Any suitable tool can be used for supporting and inserting the keeper into the bore 13 against the shoulder 21. Then a force is exerted against the keeper as shown by arrow and the prongs are caused to bite into the walls ot the holder and the keeper flattened simultaneously to the position shown in Fig, 6. The prongs will thus be caused to undergo a slight tilting movement toward the plane of the flattened keeper and to bite laterally into the wall of Ythe holder, at the same time vcausing the ke-eper to be retained very snugly against the shoulder 21.

t will now be clear that with the pencilr constructed as indicated and as shown in Fig. 1 the lead may be projected by rotating the tip` whereby a rotation of the runner 2() is caused through the engagement thereof' with the nipple 12, the stem oil screw 19 being held against rotation by the keeper 23 and being caused to move into the tip whereby a gradual feed of the lead is securet. lt

will be observed, moreover, that'this eonstruction and proportioning ot the parts permits of the use of a bore 14 which is of a minimum length while at the saine time the length o't lead 1G which can be used for relilling can be considerable. n

lVhen a new lead 4is being ,inserted the position of the runner relatively to the stem will be the saine as that shown in Fig. 1. As the lead is worn down and the stem is 'lied lforward correspondingly the runner will assume the position shown iii Fig. 9. li new it is desired to insert a new lead the tip is detached from the holder of the pencil and is tilted so as to cause the plunger to fall outward therefrom and be received in the hand ot' the operator who will then promptly reverse the plunger bodily and reinsert the same into the holder and through the slot 2T of the keeper, a new lead being fitted into the tip. rlhe tip is then engaged with the holder and the lead is projected sutliciently by the lower end of the stem so as to be again in the position shown in Fig. 1. Thus this invention eliminates the `necessity ot rotating the runner back along the stem coincident with the insertion oit a new lead. It `will be understood and appreciated that the only parts that are detachable from the main body are the plunger parts 19 and 20, but they always remain together as a unit and are easily manipulated not only 'for the ad-' justinent `from time to time ot the lead, but also toi' more reliable control than as hereto't'oi'e practiced.

I claim:

l. ln a lead pencil, the combination with tip and holder portions iitted together for tree relative rotation and direct separation, the tip portion having a bore adapted to receive a. lead, projecting the lead 'from time 'to time, said pluiigei means comprising a threaded stem adapted for direct projection against the of plunger means 'for manually y upper end oif the lead and a threaded runner movable from time to time along the stein in accordance with the desired forward ad.A j ustinents ot the lead, means to hold the stem from rotation in the holder, the tip portion having means to rotate the runner to cause endwise movement of the stein, said st m and runner being removable from the pencil as a unit, so that on end to end reversal thereoi coincident with the insertion ot` a fresh lead, the operator is relieved from re`V versing the runner along the stem.

2. ln a lead pencil, the combination withA tip and holder portions litt Vid detachably together and relatively rotatable, said tip poi'- tionliaving a bore for holding a lead, olt plunger means for manually projecting the lead, `said plunger means comprising a threaded stem adapted to act against ythe upper end ot the lead, and a threaded runner movable along theY stein in accordance with the desired forward adjustments oi' the lead, means whereby one ot the portions aforesaid acts to hold one et' the plunger portions from rotation, while the other of the portions lirst mentioned serves to causl rotation oi the other et' the plunger parts.

3. The combination as set 'forth in claim 2 wherein one oia said portions is jii'ovided with a nipple and the other with a bore to receive the nipple ior attachment o't' the 'tip to the holder, said nipple being slotted longitudinally to be conipi'essible when engaged in said bore, said nipple being tap-ered to be lOl) easily separable engagement afforded.

The combination as set forth in Claim 2 wherein the runner is provided with members positioned at the ends thereof with reference to the axis of the stem, the tip 151 Ahaving means to detachably engage the adjacent one of said members coincident with the engagement of the tip and the holder, and means in the holder' to retain the stem against rotation whereby a rotation of the tip is made effective to the runner to cause a movement of the stem along the pencil.

6. The combination as set forth in claim 2 wherein the ruimer is provided with memhers positioned at the ends thereof with f Yreference to the axis of the stem, the tip having means to detachably engage one or the other of said members upon reversal of the plunger, and means in the holder consisting of a metal plate having engagement with the holder, said plate being slotted and said stem having a flat face to co-operate with said slot to retain the stem against relative rotation to make the thread of the runner effective thereto for longitudinal movement of the stem.V and projection of the lead.

7. The combination as set forth in claim 2 wherein the runner is provided with members positioned at the ends thereof with reference to the axis of the stem, the tip having means to detachably engage one or the other of said members upon reversal of the plunger, and means in the holder to hold the stem for longitudinally7 slidable movement but against rotational move-ment to make the rotation of the runner by the tip effective for movement of the stem and projection of the lead, the runner having abutment relation with said means to take up the reaction with the stem and whereby it is engaged with the tip as aforesaid coincident with engagement of the tip and the holder.

8. In a lead pencil, the combination of a holder, a tip to detachahly engage the same.v the tip being adapted to slidably hold a lead, a plunger in the pencil comprising a stem` and a runner having threaded engagement therewith to move along the stem, and means in the holder co-operating with the stem to hold the same against rotational movement but to permit of longitudinally slidable movement thereof along the pencil, the runthe attachment thereof to the holder and` being retained in engagement therewith by virtue of the abutment relation aforesaid whereby rotation of the tip is made effective to cause rotation of the runner.

9. In a lead pencil, the combination of a tip portion, a holder portion having detachable engagement therewith and being bored therealong, the tip portion being arranged to slidably retain a lead, and actuating means to project the lead comprising a stem, means having threaded engagement with the stem whereby the stem can be caused to move along thepencil for projection of the lead, and stop means to prevent rotation of the stem but to permit longitudinally slidable movement thereof comprising a concaved metal member which is arranged to be inserted coaxially into the vbore of one of the aforesaid parts, a shoulder being provided at said bore, said member being flattened against said shoulder to grip the walls of the bore and to be retained snugly therein.

IO. The combination as set forth in claim 9 wherein said member is provided with prongs which bite into said walls coincident with the flattening operation aforesaid.

1l. In a lead pencil, the combination of a holder portion, a tip portion to slidably hold a lead, and actuating means in the pencil to project the lead comprising al stem, means to cause the stem to move along the pencil, and a keeper for the stem` consisting of a concaved metal member, one of said portions having a bore to receive the member, the member being fiattened to enlarge and grip the walls of the bore.

I2. In a lead pencil, the combination of a tip portion, a holder portion, one of said portions having a nipple, the other portion having a bore to receive the nipple, the nipple having a longitudinal slot to be compressible when engaged in the bore, the nipple and the bore having tapered relation with respect to each other to provide for an easy interlock of the parts, and actuating means in the pencil for projecting a lead and operative by a relative rotation of the tip portion to the holder portion, the nipple having a slot at the free `end thereof communicating with but larger than the first mentioned slot to engage the actuating means and provide for compressibility of the nipple as aforesaid.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

MICHAEL F. GLENNON. 

